Night Without Regret (Fall and Catch Balance)
by Kisuru-chan
Summary: Sasuke isn't thrilled when Naruto visits the compound uninvited one night. Worse, Naruto wants to have dinner together. To his dismay, Naruto is persistent that he doesn't eat alone, and Sasuke realizes the evening is more pleasant than he is willing to admit. Set at some point that Team 7 is still together. Canon universe.


**A/N:** Written as a Fandom Stocking 2018 gift for coz.

-()-

Normally, he spent his evenings modestly. He stayed home and considered wins and losses for the day while preparing for the next. It was his time to contemplate and stew in the surroundings of the estate, think about how he would achieve his long life ambitions.

Sasuke counted on that quiet time. He stared at the walls, or walked to each room while he considered the present and past. It drove the maddening chaos in his heart. Likewise, the mental break was clear of the outside world's clutter and assuaged his feelings at once.

Each night was a burn and balm of memories.

He wanted to do the same thing tonight, too.

The incessant ring of a voice in his eardrums contradicted his meticulous plans otherwise.  
 **  
**"Hey, open up!"

Blankly, Sasuke stared the door with a grim expression. The loud mouth had been clawing at the door and yelling for five solid minutes.

"You in there?"

Grimacing, he covered his ears with his palms. He was obnoxious! Why couldn't he shut up?

But why… was he there to see him….?

"Don't ignore me," Naruto grumbled. "I know you're there! Open the door already."

Another knock resounded in the deepest part of the walls. He continued to call out for him.

Sasuke weighed options. He could retreat into the house and ignore him. On the other hand, he could usher in another migraine. Hadn't he enjoyed getting on his nerves earlier?

But… well… maybe Naruto wanted something important. And he wasn't opposed to seeing him. Not when he had a reason, anyway!

But he didn't think he could handle the noise anymore. Sasuke watched Naruto's silhouette on the other side, his hand raise and lower itself. He was an insistent airhead, and he didn't get a clue when it hit him head-on.

Sasuke grabbed the handle, twisted it with a rattle, and slid the door open halfway.

"What do you want?" Sasuke snapped. "Didn't Kakashi tell you go home and rest tonight?"

Naruto's hand paused mid-knock, and he looked at him. His face exploded into a wide, goofy grin. "Doing anything for dinner?"

Sasuke blinked, exasperated at the non sequitur. As predicted, of course he had made a mistake. He started to slam the door in his face, but Naruto shoved a foot in the crack.

Honestly, Sasuke hadn't thought about dinner yet. He didn't care if he ate anything to begin with and he only did because it sustained his energy. Eating was usually one of the last things he thought about after the day ended and he had nothing else to do and pass time. He usually squashed rice balls from leftovers – fast, easy, and healthy – in a hurry and he would be done with the nightly menu.

"None of your business," Sasuke said.

Naruto was not detoured at his tone. He lifted a white bag. "Great! Let's eat together."

Sasuke leered, unimpressed. He had to at least look the part. He did not need charity. "Who says I want to eat with you, loser?" He wondered why Naruto thought dinner would be a good idea on that day of all days.

"Because you told Kakashi-sensei you didn't eat breakfast when he scolded you for being distracted," he said, pointing at his chest, proud of his observation. "You're lucky you have a friend who notices these things."

Sasuke shrugged, but his resolve budged a bit. His hand on the doorknob loosened a little bit. Why was he paying attention to stuff like that? "Why don't you go bug Sakura?"

"She'll tell me, 'Go away, I don't want to eat your disgusting food!'" His face scrunched up, sour, his whiskers twitching. "I have so much cup ramen I don't know what to do with it."

And he didn't realize Sasuke would do the exact same thing? No, he was even less in the mood for ramen. Simple as that. He pushed the door harder against his foot.

"I don't want your cup ramen," Sasuke said.

"Hey, that hurts!"

"Then get your foot out of my door."

Naruto winced. He righted his foot. His expression flared with determination. "Ramen is one of the main food groups, dattebayo!"

Sasuke could comment on how surprised he was that he was this persistent to see him eat some cheap noodles – and he was a bit if that were true – but he couldn't give him the satisfaction. "I don't care. Go home."

"Stop being stubborn." Naruto scoffed. "It's free food. In exchange, you can tell me all about how I screwed up during training."

Sasuke grit his teeth. "You're so annoying."

Their gazes locked. Tempting an offer as it may be to still argue, Sasuke's will to fight waned. Warily, he peeked through the door crack, and Naruto grinned toothily at him. He must have known he had Sasuke cornered.

He didn't have to give into anything. Yet…

Finally, Sasuke's defenses crumbled. He sighed. "Will you go home after this?"

"Yeah, sure," Naruto agreed. At that emission, an unsaid feeling wavered in his expression.

Sasuke huffed. He eyed him suspiciously and then released the handle. Naruto stumbled to catch his balance. All the same, he kicked off his sandals and they landed on each side of Sasuke's on the entrance rack (not like his neatly arranged ones). He stepped in the guest slippers stashed on the lowest level of the rack out of sight, hopped on the ledge, and mindlessly rushed down the hallway.

He had… forgotten there were guest slippers there. No one ever came over unless they had something important to discuss with him.

Why did he actually remember to use them if he didn't even remember the slippers at all?

Another pair of slippers reminded him of—

Sasuke's eyes followed Naruto's feet.

He didn't realize he stopped running until he backtracked and suddenly was before him.

When Naruto looked confused, he pointed in the kitchen's direction, and Naruto was off.

"The pan for the water is—"

"I got it, dattebayo!"

He didn't think he had it all together. Knowing him, he may be a klutz and drop the fanciest bowls in the cupboard that his parents had bought for special occasions. But he didn't hear anything break after he heard shifting in the kitchen, so Sasuke guessed he found what he was looking for. Let Naruto do the work. It wasn't as though Sasuke had asked him to make them dinner in the first place.

He was morbidly curious, though. He peeked around the edge of the wall. Naruto placed the saucepan on the stove, set it to the right temperature, and he hummed to himself. He cleared away some of the empty, dirty dishes and utensils clogging up the sink space, and the sharp pain Sasuke's chest increased.

 _Okay, you are dependable_ , Sasuke mused. He awkwardly dragged a foot against the slippery wooden floor, a small ache spreading in his chest. _Why are you going to this trouble_?

Sasuke plopped down in his usual spot at the table. He put his chin in his hands, waiting while Naruto merrily shuffled around the kitchen at his own pace. He only looked up when the floor across from him creaked.

"Ready," Naruto announced, making himself comfortable. He waved at an array of cups scattered on the table. "Take your pick. Cup ramen doesn't get much better than this."

Sasuke deadpanned at his choices. None of them were exceedingly delicious, but they weren't bad. The ramen was edible and that was the end of it. But there were too many choices for one person. "This isn't a feast."

Naruto grabbed one of the cups and lifted the lid. A wisp of steam rose out of the cup after he opened it, and he unceremoniously dug in his chopsticks. "It's a feast for a Hokage!"

Sasuke was about to rebuttal Naruto lumping him in as a Hokage – ruling Konohagakure was his last priority on the list – but he was too busy stuffing his face. He scanned the assorted cups again and went for the nearest one. He worked his nails under the lid, the steam brushing against his fingertips.

He shivered. His hand hovered above the steam for a minute, fingers warming up.

Sasuke sank his chopsticks in the noodles. The creamy chicken melted on his tongue. Frowning, he recoiled. It took a few seconds to realize the noodles' heat warmed his body from the center outwards with each sip.

The nostalgic thought was short lived.

"So, yeah, you screwed up today," Naruto told him. "Kakashi-sensei laughed at you. And Sakura-chan wasn't ready for that, either!"

Sasuke almost choked on his next bite. He swallowed deliberately, the noodles scraping his throat on the way down. "I didn't screw up," he murmured. "If you hadn't knocked me over, none of that would have happened."

Naruto shook his head. "You were in my way!"

"I was? As if. Consider where you're going." He was not at fault he had wanted to reach the goal. He had come up behind him, and he had fallen prey to a split second of indecision where to move. He wanted to rub his nose in it, and he shouldn't take the obvious bait. "Besides, don't talk big when we have to redo every exercise because of you tomorrow."

"Hey! It's not all my fault!"

It wasn't Sasuke's objective to take failure in stride. He had to train to be faster, smarter, and stronger, but it had been one of those days where nothing clicked team wise. Maybe Kakashi had called for a group exercise to keep their spirits high for the next mission.

"It was an off day," Sasuke said, scowling. He hated how he felt the need to admit it, but the entirety of Team 7 knew it anyway.

"Ah, well, who cares." Naruto slurped more noodles. "We have a mission in a few days and we'll be better after rest. So eat up!"

He sounded so carefree about the whole thing. Like practice was magical and a square fit into the sharp edges of a triangle after fiddling with the shapes. Sasuke couldn't help but… believe his earnest stupidness sometimes.

"Like this will give me the energy for that." Sasuke swirled the noodles in his cup and carefully savored the taste on his tongue.

And that was more or less the end of the conversation. Sasuke poked at his ramen more than ate, blowing on the hot steam a few times. His attention kept going back up to him, and his mind wandered. Naruto happily went through cup after cup and didn't slow his assault. Sasuke wondered if his stomach was an endless pit inhabited with noodles.

Begrudgingly, he admitted the ramen didn't taste terrible. He bit on the meat pieces and and gnawed on the vegetable. It still wasn't gourmet or nutritious or homemade. But it was strangely appealing. Just like Naruto's brazen enthusiasm. Accepting too much of his generosity wasn't good for Sasuke to linger on, and it only would make him softer…

As the cups piled on Naruto's side of the table, Sasuke spotted a red jar. He reached for it, curious, and realized it was tomato sauce.

Had that been in the cupboard? He didn't remember. It didn't look like the brand he bought when he wanted a taste of tomato every once in a while. In fact, the jar wasn't marked and there was no way of telling.

He glanced up at Naruto. He still didn't pay attention to him; he shoveled some packet seasonings in his latest ramen cup.

Sasuke traced his fingers on the glass. Then, he opened the lid – or, he would have if the jar wasn't already open. He shrugged and dripped a little bit on the top of his ramen.

The taste was sweeter than Sasuke preferred, but he had no desire to complain about it.

Naruto tossed the cup on the tall stack on his side of the table. He burped, stretching his arms above his head, sighing blissfully. "Ugh, I'm full. I think I'm going to burst." He patted his stomach, head falling backwards.

"You ate almost all of it," Sasuke said. He surveyed the cup pyramid. "And you said we were both supposed to have dinner?"

"Ya snooze, ya lose," Naruto said.

Sasuke bristled. He crushed the cup in his hand a bit and the liquid inside dripped over the edge a bit. " _You_ wanted me to eat!"

"Well…" Naruto laughed. He scratched the back of his neck. "At least I wasn't grumpily looking at it! You were playing with your food. And they tell me I have bad eating habits."

Sasuke's eye twitched. He didn't want him to know his real thoughts. Making him leave sooner rather than later would be best now that he gloated. "Anyway, you said you—"

"Have a TV?"

"In my room," Sasuke answered immediately.

Naruto padded to his feet and quickly exited the kitchen without another word of input.

The realization hit Sasuke's far too late; the words had tumbled out of his lips before they filtered through his brain. He had… what was wrong with him!? Did he direct him to his room? "Wait, don't you _dare_ go there!"

"I can't walk home after I eat so much ramen. It's not good for my stomach," Naruto replied.

"Of all the lame excuses—!"

Fumbling to follow, Sasuke dropped the unfinished ramen. He bumped a knee on the edge of the table and pain shot through his leg. And he had the nerve to call him stubborn? He rubbed the painful spot and hurried after him. "You manage just fine after you pig out at Ichiraku," he accused.

"Yeah, yeah. I can't hear you!"

Sasuke found him near the stairs. Naruto absorbed the sights around him: the faint traces of dust neglected recently and the organized state of the items in the room that hadn't been touched for Sasuke couldn't honestly recall. Overall, it was a contrast of undisturbed cleanliness and unlived in at opposing ends of the spectrum.

"This place is impossible to navigate," Naruto said, clearing his throat. "Too many rooms!"

Sasuke almost laughed. The sound trapped in his throat was dry and absurd. The house always suffocated him. To him, it was tiny.

"Trust me, you get used to it."

Sasuke led them up the stairs to the second floor. It was a short walk to his bedroom, and Naruto was the first one who jumped inside.

How he had fallen into this pitfall, he didn't know. But now he couldn't back out. And… Sasuke wasn't sure he could say no now.

"No fair, this is bigger than my room," Naruto said, awed, examining the spacious wooden floor and balcony. He then flopped on the bed and stretched out like a cat for his leisure. "Why do you have so many pillows anyway?" He nuzzled a cheek on the dark pillowcase.

Sasuke glared. He descended next to the bed and punched him square in the back. "Get your stupid face out of my pillow, now."

Smirking, Naruto did no such thing. "But it is really soft." He wrapped both arms around it.

"I change my mind." Sasuke pointed to the door. He planted a foot down. "Get out."

"I just got here."

"I'll throw you over the balcony."

"Ha, I'll kick your ass into next week before you lay a finger on me, dattebayo!"

"You wish," Sasuke said. He imagined him falling flat on his face even though he was a ninja. "I bet the so-called future Hokage is a quitter because there's a little height."

"I'm not, okay!" Naruto snorted. He flipped on his back and waved his arms. "Relax! I'll behave." He sat up against the pillow. "One of my favorite shows is on. Let's watch it."

"You're demanding."

Regardless, Sasuke pushed aside the books on his table and snatched the remote from between them. Vaguely, he remembered that this particular TV had been the family's from the kitchen – his old TV had been a victim of anger once upon a time – and sometimes he had watched the news there with them…

Shaking his head, he dispelled those thoughts. He didn't want to think about that with Naruto there. He clicked the TV set on. The light engulfed the darkened room, and the sound droned in the background. Sasuke tossed the remote to Naruto and he phoned in whatever channel. "And get off the bed. Don't make yourself super comfortable. Sit on the floor."

"Nah, I'm good." Naruto carelessly threw his head back. "I can't see the screen there."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. Again, he saw through his pathetic excuse; he wanted to get a rise out of him for fun. He could get kick him out with force and Naruto probably wouldn't argue if he was serious about him lazing in his personal space. But he sighed. He didn't know what it was about him that made him not fight him when he was extra annoying.

Sasuke sat on the side away from the TV. He picked up one of the books on the table and flipped through it, trying to immerse himself in it, but he was deadly aware of how Naruto was sitting far too close to him for comfort.

"I knew it. You're hogging the bed."

Naruto dismissively cracked his knuckles. "And you have your legs spread out."

"You know I always sit like this. I can take however much space I want here," Sasuke said. "I will repeat: this is _my_ bed."

"What did you say?"

Sasuke didn't know what he did to warrant his wrath, but Naruto lounged and tackled him. He grabbed his arm and circled his leg around Sasuke's and pushed him backwards towards the wall. While he was always ready for the unexpected the attack was completely out of the blue. Naruto had the upperhand for a minute before he grappled for a handful of his shirt and rolled him over. They kept rolling back and forth, the bed springs creaking and popping, until the safety of the bed slipped from underneath them and they tumbled.

"Get off!"

Sasuke was ready for pain but it never came. Eyes sealed shut, he slowly opened them to see blue – and, he realized, he wasn't just looking at Naruto's jacket. Sasuke's pinned him down at the shoulders. He breathed, hand sweaty in a bout of confusion, heart gradually beating faster. Naruto squirmed under his body and stuck his tongue out, to which woke Sasuke out of his odd trance.

"Another time for the books that boasting 'I will kick your ass!' didn't happen, huh?"

"This isn't a defeat."

Sasuke didn't bother dignifying that with a response, because he was so ridiculous. He had forced his way in here in the first place – he shouldn't go around making light of it. To get that point across, Sasuke grabbed the nearest pillow above them on the bed and whacked him directly in the face with it.

"Ow!" Naruto's arms flew out and clutched at the pillowcase. "What is your problem!?"

Now it was Sasuke's turn to smirk. "Well, you are the one who said my pillow was soft."

"Why are you such a jerk?"

"Because the show you're watching is weird and you're forcing me to listen to it," Sasuke told him matter-of-factly. He couldn't keep up with the show; the screaming was headache-inducing babble. The scenes looked choppy and vivid. "Is it a mystery? A game show?"

To his surprise, Naruto bit his lip, and he glared back. In Sasuke's distraction, he managed to push himself from under him, and he jumped to his feet. "It's not that weird," he mumbled. "It really isn't."

His tone was a mixture of something he did not recognize. The urge to ask for clarification naturally came to Sasuke, but Naruto turned his back on him, and he landed square on the bed again, returning to the TV program.

He shrugged. Whatever. But the image of his expression nagged Sasuke's thoughts. He laid his head on the edge of the bed to calm down, the pulse of his heart unable to find a steady rhythm after their little exercise, the clamor of music in the background in sync with it.

Despite Sasuke's reluctance to admit it, the silence between them was companionable.

Eventually, Sasuke crawled back on the bed. He dropped the discarded book he had been trying to read on the table, and he propped himself up on the pillow from earlier. (Naruto went back to taking the other two pillows). Gladly, he hunched down and let his tense muscles unwind slightly. Admittedly, he was tired and rest was welcome. He didn't know how long Naruto planned to stay now that he had gotten everything he wanted, but he guessed he didn't mind a while longer…

A hard smack caused pain to blossom in his foot. His instant impulse was to warn him again. And he opened his mouth to do so, but he stopped short once he actually saw him.

Naruto snored. His mouth was wide open. Sprawled on his back, he had fallen asleep. His body trembled, agitated. His arms and legs flailed and aimlessly sought a target.

From the looks of it, the show was still on.

Hadn't he said it was one of his favorites? And he simply fell asleep before it was finished?

"Always useless," Sasuke said, fishing for the remote tucked under the pillow Naruto's head laid on. He clicked the TV off. With a crackle, the room descended back into darkness. "Stop acting like you own the place."

Waking him up would be a fruitless effort. How long would it take? It wasn't worth it.

He glanced outside the window. Over the balcony he saw the light of the village in the distance and the moon. He hated the sight of the compound, but he needed to garner that hate for revenge, and he couldn't leave the most isolated house in the village until then.

But…

The house didn't feel the same tonight.

It wasn't as… his thoughts were...

He didn't know.

Sasuke hadn't thought about his surroundings much for the entire night until that moment.

He snapped out of his reverie in time to spot Naruto still flopping around. He narrowly dodged an arm as he rolled on his side. He shook his head, tucking a piece of hair behind his ear. Logic said he should leave the room. He had a perfectly prepared couch, but he didn't want to leave his own room – that would give the smug dumbass more of a reason to snark at him in the morning.

"Kick me while I sleep and you really will be on the floor. Don't whine I didn't warn you."

Less than a half hour after he closed his eyes and drifted off, three hard kicks hit his ankle and legs. He shifted away on the expanse of bed left. The bed space was smaller with both of them but he still didn't feel cramped.

Sasuke didn't make good on his promise.

"Idiot."

Even later after midnight, he most certainly did not acknowledge the pair of arms which enfolded his waist and clamped onto his shirt like a lifeline. If he did so, Sasuke may have to admit more than he was willing to himself.

Instead, the nightmares were staved off that night. He was able to sleep peacefully.

-()-

 **Notes:**

[1] Since Sasuke likes tomatoes, I added that detail. You can put tomato flavor in ramen and it tastes best with the meat. I thought he would like that then.


End file.
